Travel Packing List – Packing the Basics for Your Long Trip

31.
Posted byberner256(Moderator 1103 posts) 1w
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A friend who travels with me uses an iPad and a Motorola smart phone. She downloads books from the New York Public Library on her iPad; and uses both devices to send photos and messages.

We subscribe to Google Fi, which allows us to communicate with friends and family in 170+ countries at a reasonable price. Google Fi is only available to those who live in the United States. But it now works on a wide array of devices, including iPhones. I used my Pixel 2 in China, including Tibet, and was able to access Facebook, which otherwise is blocked in that country. Instead of an iPad I carry a 13-inch laptop to edit and store photos and keep a travel budget that's updated at the end of each day. Files are stored in the cloud on Dropbox. I used to keep a daily journal on my laptop, but no longer do so since I upload photos, videos and commentary almost daily (and often instantly via Google Fi) to Facebook.

I usually don't read nor listen to music while on the road, preferring to be constantly aware of my surroundings. But I do try to catch up with the news at least once or twice daily, when possible.

I find smartphone apps helpful, including xe.com for exchange rates; Waze, Google Maps and Rome2Rio for directions; YR for weather; FlightAware, Google.com/flights and flightconnections.com for flight information; an altimeter by examobile; Skype and WhatsApp; and translate.google.com. I use airline apps to easily rebook flights when necessary. I also use rail apps, including Hyperdia for Japan and DB Navigator for Europe.

I use a password manager on my laptop and mobile phone. A YubiKey can be used for an extra layer of security. My mobile phone and laptop also have fingerprint recognition; and many of my financial accounts also have fingerprint and voice recognition.

32.
Posted byBeausoleil(Travel Guru 898 posts) 1w
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Quoting Teoni

Quoting Beausoleil

You haven't seen a Kindle for a while. They do everything a smart phone does only with a bigger screen. The larger print is the selling point for me, including larger print on the web and email. When your eyes start to age, you'll understand. I don't carry mine around all the time, but I do like it on the plane and in the evenings. It also keeps me from cluttering my phone with a couple hundred books. My phone is linked to my Kindle so I can pull up a book if I need to and then remove it later. Good for unexpected waits.

I don't have a "tablet" because a Kindle is a tablet. It's just called something different.

Looks like I have been out of loop with Kindle developments. So you can browse the web, listen to music and watch videos just like a computer?

Yes you can, and you can even Skype if your phone isn't handy. You can take pictures and edit them. It really is a tablet.